Travelogues

I went to Kashmir last year (April 2006) for 7N/8D on a family vacation. Almost everyone termed it as risky and a bold step, we ignored all those warnings and went ahead. The trip was booked through MakeMyTrip and we found a very good deal. We paid about Rs. 11k per person including airfare, stay at houseboat on Dul Lake, all meals inclusive, 4 day excursion trip to Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Yusmarg and one day local site seeing in Kashmir. It was our dream come true when we landed in Kashmir on 8th April afternoon. It was pleasant weather and had rained a bit in last couple of days. We were received by Mr. Kolu who arranged the whole trip in Kashmir for us. We were driven to the houseboat in a Sumo and the driver was Gulam Qadir who was with us for all 7 days during our trip. The houseboat (Katherine) was a great houseboat (Please see pictures uploaded in the SriNagar section of this website. We were offered tea on the houseboat. The rooms were great, the dining room well done and our host Basharat was very courteous. We had hot water available in the washroom round the clock. After relaxing for couple of hours, we went for the famous Shikara (very comfortable Kashmiri Boat) ride. I must say Shikara Ride was the highlight of the whole trip. You ride in the boat and there are moving shops on other shikaras which will come on both the sides of your boat and you could do shopping while enjoying the ride. There ‘mobile’ snacks shop as well which serve you not only cold drinks, tea, pakoras etc. but also all types of chocolates and nuts and everything else that you can eat and drink. We also got ourselves pictured in Kashmiri dresses. We toured the Dul Lake for about couple of hours and then back to the houseboat. There are thousands of houseboats on the Dul Lake (see picture in the ‘SriNagar’ Section). Day 1 was simply great.

Pahalgam Day Excursion
The next day, we were to go to Pahalgam for a day excursion. It was about 3 hours drive from Srinagar. The drive was awesome. You can see couple of pictures in the pictures gallery for on the way to Pahalgam. After getting out of Kashmir, you can see a lot of piles of Willow wood which is used in making Cricket bats on both sides of the road. It was a great view. We reached Pahalgam in afternoon. However, it was not the best day since it was raining all through. We still decided to go to see the famous spots and hired the horses to reach upper hills. The guide showed us couple of places where film shootings used to happen in Kashmir. We also visited the ‘mini Switzerland’ which is a great scenic place. It was something that we had seen on TV and in films and seeing it with our eyes was awesome. Like a dream come true. There are tea stalls in this area and holding on to a cup of tea with some biscuits and wafers was a great feast! We came back (completely drenched) and had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant (sorry can’t recall the name but the guide/driver will direct you to this restaurant only.) the food was awesome (if you are a veggie). If you are a good negotiator, you could strike a good deal with the horse owners here. Rafting facility is also available in Pahalgam, however that can only be enjoyed in May/June. We came back to our houseboat in the evening and crashed in our bed for another exciting day waiting for us.

Gulmarg-Himalyan Highs
The 4th day was an excursion to GulMarg. We left around 9 in the morning after breakfast and reached Gulmarg around noon. About a mile before Gulmarg, you need to take the rubber boots, long jackets, warm caps, gloves etc. which are available on rent. When we reached Gulmarg, wooden manual sledges are available which are carried by the humans. It’s a great ride through the snow fields and it seemed as if there was a white sheet spread all over the earth in Gulmarg. These sledge pullers take you to the entrance of ‘Gandola’ (ropeway) to go to further heights, Kongdoor, situated at an altitude of 10050 (See pictures in the Gulmarg section of the pictures gallery.) There is a restaurant at this height which serves reasonable food. One could go further heights by another ‘Gandola’ which was closed at that time. The skiing facility was available as well. We experienced the snowfall for the first time in our lives. We spent couple of hours playing in the snow and then headed back to the parking where our driver and guide Gulam Kadir was waiting. We drove back to Srinagar and another great day was over.